I've spent a decade as a stay-at-home mom but am now going through a divorce and need to reenter the workforce. How can I explain this gap on my résumé to a prospective employer?

Moms reentering the workforce are becoming more recognized as the hidden pool of talent they are, so don't feel that you need to apologize for the gap.

Begin with a bang-up cover letter. Use the decision maker's name in the salutation and emphasize what you can do for the company. Put at least as much effort into your cover letter as you do into your résumé. When I'm hiring, I form my initial opinion before I'm even done reading the cover letter, and most other bosses do too. Discuss how the skills you learned as a full-time administrator of your household such as scheduling, managing a budget, and volunteering in the community will translate into viable workplace skills. And be specific: If you organized the PTA luncheon, explain how you managed a dozen volunteers and coordinated with vendors to produce a fund-raiser that netted $2,000.

On your résumé, skip the standard chronological format. Start instead with a summary of your skills, highlighting abilities like administration, and people skills that you've honed in the past decade. Avoid silly titles like or "household CEO" or "domestic goddess," which are a complete turnoff. Conclude your résumé with a short chronological section that outlines your education, places and dates of employment, and job titles. Include a sentence about what you've done while you've been out of the workforce, such as, "1999-present: Full-time homemaker, PTA president, community volunteer." By the time your prospective employer reads down this far, she'll be so impressed with the skills and accomplishments you've listed above that your employment gap will pale in importance.